Lincoln Riley officially announces starting quarterback for 2024 season

Lincoln Riley has named a starting quarterback for the 2024 season.

As expected, it will be Miller Moss who gets the nod as USC’s starter to begin the year. Riley and the program officially confirmed that decision on Monday afternoon.

Lincoln Riley has named Miller Moss our starting quarterback. ✌️ pic.twitter.com/tn8W4SLT9u

— USC Football ✌️ (@uscfb) August 19, 2024

Moss beat out UNLV transfer Jayden Maiava for the starting job. Maiava was heavily-recruited by several top programs out of the transfer portal this past offseason, including Georgia. However, he ultimately landed at USC — where he will now serve as Moss’ backup.

Moss burst onto the scene during USC’s bowl game victory last season. He threw for 372 yards, 6 touchdowns and just 1 interception in USC’s victory over Louisville. It was his first-career start — and one that has fueled optimism for the post-Caleb Williams era all offseason at USC.

Moss still has 2 years of eligibility remaining after spending the first 3 seasons of his collegiate career as a backup with the Trojans. In his career, Moss has completed 71.7% of his passes and owns a 9-to-1 TD-to-INT ratio. He’s also averaged an impressive 9.9 yards per attempt throughout his career.

Expectations are relatively low for USC entering this season. The Trojans are a distant 5th in Big Ten Championship odds at +2000 (per FanDuel). The Trojans’ win total has been set at 7.5 wins.

USC will open the 2024 season against LSU in Las Vegas on Sept. 1.